Come with me … on a short walk in the Meander Forest reserve.
Today, I discovered that the bridge to Meander Falls is closed, presumably as a result of the floods last year. Smoko Road was open and so a hike up to Chasm Falls was possible. Deb would be leading me to the falls, on what was going to be a new track for me.
The new footbridge.
Mother Cummings Rivulet.
At the trailhead, to cross Mother Cummings Rivulet, you originally had to balance your way over a log, but to Deb’s surprise, we discovered a huge monster of a foot bridge there instead. Not quite as exciting but nonetheless easier going across the rivulet.
Track junction.
Once on the other side of the water, the old logging road that you follow to Chasm Falls, takes you up a gentle slope through eucalypt forest to a fork in the track. This is where the trail to Mother Cummings Head branches off.
In the eucalypt forest.
Lichen.
Hard ferns.
Moss.
Myrtle forest.
The path through the forest.
Moss.
Leopard patterns.
More lichen.
Moss draping the rocks.
Starbursts.
We continued ahead on the Chasm Falls track. You slowly leave the eucalypt forest behind and enter the good stuff - myrtle beech, moss, lichen, ferns, boulders and the Smoko Creek running down below.
Lower Chasm Falls.
Lower Chasm Falls.
A short walk later through this wonderland, you arrive at the lower Chasm Falls. There are three falls in total. The falls here are nice, small and picturesque.
The track continues.
Stream crossing.
Beautiful forest.
Going up.
Intense greens.
Moss covered boulders rise like islands in the forest.
Whales of rock.
More decorations.
Root networks.
Second Chasm Falls.
Further ahead you reach an amazing waterfall, with towering rock cliffs, which house hidden shelters and rocky clifftops overhanging the creek. We had lunch here and bathed in the other worldly feeling.
Towering rockcliffs.
Spotted rocks.
Funky fungi.
Another few minutes of walking and we tried to find the third falls, as well as the creek crossing, but we turned back probably a bit too early.
If you continue, the creek crossing takes you up to Bastion Bluff, while the main track takes you to Mt Ironstone, both features up on the plateau.
Each time I come to Meander Forest I’m blown away by its raw timeless beauty. You basically enter an ancient world that once existed and which Tasmania is uniquely home to. You won’t find this anywhere else.
When you come back out of the forest, it’s with both a mixed feeling of ‘what a shame, I don’t want to leave’ and ‘farking hell, that was amazing, let’s do it again!’
Tasmanian nature at its best.